Owning a condo in your late twenties to early thirties is a great start in investing whether it is solely for business or for your own space. Having your own space is good for your mental health and growth as a person. Go out, explore, and live independently. Whether you own it or you’re renting, as long as you have your own private space you can call your home.
A friend of mine and a former colleague, Mikyu, got herself a condo last 2018. The place she got is located just near Cebu IT Park so it is very convenient and accessible to many supermarkets and shopping districts.
Mikyu decided to live alone even though she could’ve just lived free in her parent’s house. We tend to be so comfortable and reliant on our families that sometimes we forget to grow and live our own lives. I admire people who go out and look out for themselves. Of course, if you have the means you can probably do this as early as you can, but if you are a breadwinner, then it’s a different story.
Anyway, when I knew she got her own place, I immediately volunteered to design and decorate her space. Fortunately enough, she agreed and that’s how I started my own YouTube Channel 😁
The unit is a 20 sqm studio-type condominium. Here’s how the bare unit looks:
When asked what she wanted for the space, she mentioned she wanted a large bed, a lounge area, and a work area. Since the space is too small to have all these things, she suggested having a loft bed instead so we can use vertical space.
My friend and I have been discussing back and forth how we wanted the space to work (functionality-wise and design-wise). Designing a space is no joke and you have to be very clear with each other’s goals so both of you are on the same page. After all the discussion, we have come up with this plan:
For the design style, she wanted to have it bright and airy, with some Scandi vibes.
So I came up with this mood board where I introduced a mix of whites, woods, some greeneries, and lots of textures to make it cozy.
When I got her approval on the mood board, I proceeded in creating the design in Adobe Photoshop. I only know how to use Photoshop this time.
In this design, I want to make sure the loft bed will blend nicely with the wall so the color should be white, and the details are also very minimal so it won’t make the space feel smaller.
Then, of course, a sofa bed under the loft bed which is big enough for her to lounge and chill around and she can just convert it to a bed when she has her family or friends stay over for a night. She requested to display her world map so we are gonna place it above the sofa bed with the mirrors to brighten up this nook. Some ambiance lightings are also great for that cozy movie nights! Lastly, some decors and a plant for this nook too 🪴 I’m getting excited to decorate this space!
The design of the loft bed is very specific to this place and her needs. Instead of a headboard, I opted for a storage/side table/headboard so she can still store a lot of her things plus a surface for her to put her gadgets or drinks without the need to go down. The stairs are located on the left side so the window and the AC unit will not be covered by the loft. Below the loft will be some shelves so she can display all her knick-knacks and the bottom layer will be drawers to store her chargers and all tech stuff.
After finalizing everything, we contacted Mandauefoam since they offer customized furniture builds. We plan on having the loft bed and all the cabinetries for the kitchen, wardrobe, and the desk be made from them. During that time, 2018, it is very difficult to look for people to get your customizations done. Unlike today that you can just look easily on Facebook Groups and have your custom designs be made on an affordable price! Before, you need to go outside the city and look for local stores that do custom builds, or if you know a carpenter then you are lucky. So for us, we did not know anyone or have any contact so we opted for Mandauefoam which is more expensive than having it built by a direct carpenter. But my friend is okay with that as long as we can guarantee the quality of the furnitures.
After all the discussions with them, they sent us this final design:
They went to the unit to get the measurements they needed.
Mikyu paid the downpayment then they started the build. It took 4 months for the whole build to complete which was way too long.
They did the installation at the condo and this is how it looks now:
We were able to shop for some large pieces prior to the installation including the blinds that my friend had pre-ordered for a custom size.
She already moved to the condo and as you can see it is already livable. However, you don’t really get that homey vibes if you only furnished and don’t decorate it somehow 🤷♀️
Upon looking at the pictures, I was really skeptical about the walls leaving them unpainted. It felt gloomy and dark. So finally at the last minute, I decided to paint all the walls white. Mikyu gave us the entire weekend to decorate her space but I think it’s not enough to do everything in 2 days.
All the things needed for the makeover were all stocked at my place.
Then, finally, the day came for the most awaited makeover 😅
The place was in total chaos, there were a million things that needed to be done and it was unending, but it was okay because I had friends who came over to help me with 😁
I painted the entire walls white while the guys do the drilling for the shelves and lights. I also painted the TV wall dark green for an accent wall.
I finished at around 3 am in the morning and slept in the unit while the others went home and came back the next day. When I woke up, my body ached so much that it feels like I have been punched from head to toe. But there’s no time to waste as I only have a few hours left before my friend comes home 🥲
The night later, my friend knocked outside, and then it was time for her to see her new space 💚
If you want to see her reaction, watch the full video on my YouTube Channel.
Do you remember the before? 🤔
Here’s what it looks like nowww 😎
I think the space looks lively and cozy now. The space feels more spacious after and I love that we did not compromise anything despite the size, the bed is large enough, the sofa is huge and deep, the coffee table is also huge enough to do some crafts or other activities, we had a 6-seater dining table so she can entertain guests, there’s also work area for her, and lastly, there are definitely lots of storage!
I am very happy with how everything turned out even though I went a little overboard with the decors and the “green” accents 😅
What do you think? Do you think it’s too much?